1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to chemical dispensation devices and, more specifically, to a device for selectively dispensing ones of a variety of liquid-based chemical compositions.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In typical households, residences, and other domestic dwellings, as well as within commercial and business buildings, many chemical cleaning agents are used in performing numerous common home cleaning, freshening, or other maintenance tasks. In a given area within a household, for example, within a single room, more than one cleaning agent can be used during a single cleaning session.
Accordingly, users of chemical cleaning agents occasionally must tote or carry around multiple containers of different chemical cleaning agents. In the alternative to transporting multiple chemical cleaning agents, the user is required to make multiple trips between the pieces being cleaned and, for example, the area where the cleaning agents are stored to exchange previously used agents for those which will be used subsequently.
While some cleaning tasks are performed at or near the location where chemical cleaning agents are stored, the user is still required to handle numerous individual products. As one example, many individuals keep or store various cleaning supplies within bathrooms, and bathroom cleaning typically requires the use of numerous chemical cleaning agents. Although such cleaning supplies might be stored within the bathroom, the user is still required to handle, use, manipulate, and switch between the various individual products.
Therefore, it is desirable to develop a dispensing device that can selectively dispense more than one cleaning agent, enabling a user to employ a single device for dispensing and using a variety of cleaning agents. Previous attempts to solve this problem include devices that allow for multiple, end-use products to be dispensed through a single valve. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,298,611 and 4,595,127 disclose variations of an aerosol can delivery system that selectively allows one of multiple fluids to be dispensed through a single spray nozzle. Disadvantages of this technology are that multiple, end-use products are dispensed through a single nozzle and there is potential for cross-contamination as the user switches between products. Also, including multiple products in a single container will either increase the size and weight of the dispensing container with each end-use product included or the volume of each product will be reduced, resulting in more frequent refills or replacements of the dispensing container.
Therefore, it is also desirable to provide a dispensing device which includes multiple, replaceable, concentrated cleaning chemistries for use with a single diluent dispenser. Other attempts have focused on providing a single replaceable, concentrated chemistry for use with a single solvent. For example, it is known to allow for a bottle to be refilled multiple times by providing cartridges containing a concentrated agent. The concentrated agent is delivered by one of several means into the bottle wherein it is combined with a solvent, preferably water, to create the usable product. While these references allow for multiple combinations of cartridges and solutions, concentrated or not to be used in refilling the bottle, the primary disadvantage with this system is that the concentrate and the solution are entirely combined prior to use within the bottle. This allows the bottle to be used to dispense only a single solution at any particular time. Further, the entire contents of the bottle must be dispensed or disposed of prior to using a different chemistry within the bottle.
There are no known prior art dispensers that allow multiple, replaceable, concentrated cleaning chemistries to be selectively used with a single diluent dispenser. What is therefore needed is a chemical or end product dispensing device which dispenses multiple cleaning agents from separate output nozzles to mitigate the likelihood of cross-contaminating the various chemistries and reduce the dependency on multiple dispensing devices for dispensing multiple end use products.